Mercury, lord of the 6th house, conjoins Saturn, lord of the ASC, in the
first house and this is a very crystallizing aspect and position. We can
easily see why the result will be accumulation of thick, almost pasty, mucus
in the bronchial tubes and lungs (Gemini), as pathology texts indicate in the
case of asthma. The Sun rising in Capricorn opposite the Moon in Cancer, and
the other saturnine afflictions, indicate nervous indigestion that will
produce excess mucus and other white cells. Furthermore, the direction of
consciousness to material things in the intense drive for security will
psychologically attract her, almost irresistibly, to unhealthy consolidating
foods that produce hardened conditions in the body. Capricorn, rising, rules
the skin, and Saturn, the ruler, is conjunct Mercury and square Neptune, so
she is likely to be spiritually and physically thin-skinned and allergic to
specific foreign substances and the attitudes they represent. Jupiter in
Pisces is opposite Pluto and Uranus. The restraining, gripping, and
crystallizing action of Pluto is liable to restrict the normal peristaltic
action of the intestines, and when involved with Jupiter from Virgo is likely
to cause sluggishness in the liver. This irregular restraining action on
Jupiter, in a watery sign, together with the obstructive Capricorn affliction
to the Moon in Cancer, indicates an inability to absorb and control fluids
that are necessary to combat the consolidating saturnian influences and keep
the lymphatic system active to regulate the mucus condition. The uranian
afflictions indicate the spasmodic tendencies and general internal
irregularities.

Returning now to the spiritual causes of the conditions, we note the
afflictions occurring in Pisces and Virgo. These signs when afflicted and
associated with health almost always indicate self-pity, a tendency to pamper
oneself and even to enjoy illness. Jupiter's self-indulgent nature exaggerates
the tendencies and gives a general magnification of all the tendencies, real
or supposed, while the 2nd house position reaffirms our observation of stress
upon material success. Referring to the ASC and first house we note Capricorn,
an earthy sign, rising, which indicates a great fear of illness and a
hypochondriacal nature that again almost enjoys chronic illness and
complaining about it as a scapegoat or alibi for any material setback. A very
important key to a more complete spiritual understanding now lies in the
unaspected Mars. This seems to indicate that her focus on the material side of
the cosmos has separated her from the inspiration of spirit to the extent that
desire, drive, and energy are lacking. This reinforces our original
supposition as to the enfeebled vitality symbolized by the weak position
(Capricorn) and aspectation of the Sun.

In the light of this information the Saturn-Mercury-Neptune health
configuration now takes on a different and more complete perspective, so that
we can more clearly understand the character and its manifestation: the body.
It is now possiible to apprehend the extreme (but often secret) brooding,
melancholy, and fearfully imaginative side of this configuration which
graphically imagines all sorts of secret forces against it and its objects,
including the forces of nature; though, in fact, it is crystallization and
lack of drive that frustrates the attainment of most of these ends. This must
itself excite many of the attacks in a frenzy of worry. It also shows how the
child can and will retreat many hours in a very visual and almost solid world
of daydreams. Thus she clearly has a very strong self-protective, but also
distorted, image of herself which she will use every ruse of the imagination
to preserve--even to the extent of illness. This extreme self-sympathy, the
result of material inversion and self-centered interest that pushes everyone
and everything away and finally crystallizes one in a temple of
separativeness, seems now to have its prime spiritual root of motivation (in
view of the void of Mars energy and utility motivation) in the Sun's position,
the life ruler, and the ASC. This can be most clearly summed up in one word,
which may even be considered one of the keywords of Capricorn or Saturn, and
that is vanity. Thus by the use of the comcomitantly evolving spiritual
perception (symbolized by the watery trines of Neptune, Jupiter, and the Moon)
of the harsh lessons of material experience which turn her consciousness
inward and upward, she is being led back to her spiritual nature and to
realize the panic, chaos, emptiness, and vanity of life without God and His
inspiration that Solomon realized so many years ago.

Having now sought into the material problems and some of the spiritual
causes in this chart, let us turn our attention to the positive side of the
ledger and the therapeutic aspects. When we do so, we are immediately
impressed with the marvelous perfection of our Father's kingdom, the workings
of which are so perfect that no matter how base or ignoble our original
intentions, they always ulitmately result in positive goodness and develop
spiritual and creative perfection--though the growing process is often watered
by tears of remorse and sorrow.

In this chart, the spiritual development seems most clearly developed in the
water sign patterns. Looking there we find just exactly the qualities and
talents we would naturally and logically expect to find with her strongly
materical development. In her quest for material achievement, she has
indubitably learned the secret that success is relative to the ability to
imagine and picture clearly what is wished to be achieved and to hold that
picture until it becomes manifest. She has learned the lesson very well. The
Moon is approaching the full in its strongest sign indicating a perfected
imagination at a peak of development, while the 7th house position shows more
art and femininity than was indicated in the unregenerated phase of the
character. Fruition is shown in the trine to Jupiter, but more important,
philosophical expansion of an image or idea to a broader scope of
understanding is indicated.

Therapeutically, the Jupiterian trine to Neptune is equal, if not greater in
importance, for it indicates a psycho-spiritual and religiously oriented
quality in this very emotional watery sign development whose uncanny and total
comprehensiveness can help her to rise above her materialistic attitudes.
Neptune, sextile to the Sun, rules the super-physical and spiritual healers,
so she would respond well to spiritual healing.

For spiritual healers, the understanding of this spiritually imaginative
aspectation is especially important for on it hinges one of the most
fundamental concepts of spiritual healing. The healing force, that comes
straight from the Father, and is specialized by our prayers and meditations,
is a most precious substance that is never wasted, misused, or poured through
a spiritual "sieve." Success depends upon the openminded attitude and
receptivity of the patient, and his ability to build a thought form capable of
receiving this great power. Healing power may be likened to white hot molten
steel which can only be utilized by a true and stable mold that corresponds to
the conceptualized thought form or image. Thus, for real healing success, the
patient must have, at least partially as in this case, a receptive, positive
and optimistic attitude, and the ability to picture himself as a well and able
servant of the Source of all healing.

The watery element is also important as a key to the proper attitude for the
parents or healer to stress in dealing successfully with the child. Focusing
on Jupiter, very strongly positioned in Pisces, it is obvious that she has a
very intense ability to feel quite strongly, especially the feelings of
others. We can safely judge that this compassion and the spiritual feelings of
awe are the results of an extremely strong purgatorial existence and perhaps
even a "borderland" experience that one might expect with the extreme
materialistic crystallization of the planets in the east. To utilize this
ability to feel in practical attitude therapy, it is first necessary to bring
out one more related phase of her character.

The expansive Jupiter, who is the usual antidote for afflictions to its
planetary opposite (the contracting Saturn), is not the only or the best key
to therapy in this case. He is afflicted hinself, weak (beneath the earth and
intercepted), and also caught up in the material situation, so we must look
elsewhere for help. The Sun, the life giver, who is the spiritual opposite of
the death-dealing Saturn, is in the grip of his crystallizing influence by
sign position and affliction. Thus we turn to the third benefic, Venus. Here
we find conditions much better. She is elevated in the 11th house in
Sagittarius and capable of directly working on the problem by the sextile to
Mercury. We now see a lighter, more aspiring side of her nature that is
otherwise materially and emotionally heavy or even glum. We also see more
levity and flexibility, but most important of all to the parents and the
healer, we see an avenue of communication.

We find the most fixed signs of all on the MC and the IC. Therefore we can
see that the parental relationship is very fixed and reactionary, and worst of
all, inflexible and weak in understanding. This last quality is particularly
the case with the MC figure (the parent who exerts the greatest influence) who
is likely to hold a cold, stern, unbudging Scorpionic disciplinary attitude.
Though in some cases these are excellent qualities, they approach disaster in
this instance. The Capricorn character does respond excellently to the
necessary respectful attitudes and firm treatment, but it will completely
close itself off in a lead shield to the heavy-handed Scorpio treatment and
may come to hate such a person. Hence, if the parents put aside a rigid
superior parental relationship that is a barrier to communication and express
themselves more as friends (Venus in 11th), they can help to mold and unfold
the positive side of the child's character much more successfully. She will
respond excellently to light, friendly persuasion and to exemplary admonition
to aspiration, nobility and honesty. Via this mode of ingress, an appeal to
her strong and sensitive feelings of compassion and spirituality must be taken
not to excite her to emotional frenzy or hysteria with fears of death, the
unknown, or the like, for Venus does square Uranus in the 8th house.

There is one final consideration that is above all others, and that is that
she tends to be very insecure. Therefore her nature demands demonstrations of
love--secure love, without doubt. Moreover, since her nature and problems are
externalized, she needs overt demonstrations of sincere love frequently.

All forms of communication and therapy must not be too theoretical, for her
nature is basically earthy and saturnine, so they must always make practical
sense to her.

Thus, from the foregoing, it is clear that the original, selfish material
motivations have crystallized to futility while the concomitant creative
spiritual development is on the wax, to an extent, even latent.

This article was adapted from the literature of The Rosicrucian Fellowship.

Click here to order the
printed version of the Rays from the Rose Cross Magazine.